Fathers' Day Special
by Serenitey
Summary: A little ficlet detailing Rory's first real Fathers' Day.


**A little ficlet detailing Rory's first real Fathers' Day.**

**Fathers' Day Special**

Luke Danes took exactly one bite of a jelly donut every year.

And every year Rory Gilmore finished it before her mother arrived screaming for coffee.

Rory had termed it the Fathers' Day Special.

Twelve year old Rory Gilmore had been sitting in Luke's Diner for the past hour and a half staring at two cherry cokes (He never let her have coffee. He said it would rot her brain cells) and two jelly donuts that were rapidly becoming stale.

"Something wrong with your food?" Luke asked gruffly.

"I'm waiting for my Dad."

"Yeah, well..." Luke exhaled loudly, nodded his head and turned abruptly away from her to serve other customers.

Rory watched as a boy from her class proudly handed his money, one coin at a time, to an impatient Luke and received a sprinkle donut in return. She watched as the boy's eyes widened and a frown developed. Rory smiled as the boy's father laughed and pulled out his wallet and Luke slapped a chocolate donut down onto a plate.

It had been her teacher's idea. Buy your father a donut and spend the afternoon together. She had raided the Inn's couch cushions for a week. Of course, unlike the boy, she had remembered to scrounge enough to buy _two _donuts and_ two_ cokes. She had planned and organised, begged, pleaded, wheedled and finally convinced her mum to let her walk to Luke's alone. It was Stars Hollow after all. AND he had promised.

Her dad had promised her he'd be there. He promised he'd be at Luke's at four o'clock and she'd buy him his donut. Then they'd go back to The Crap Shack and she'd show him her room. It was all hers. She had a desk and a bookshelf filled with books already. Mia had given her a dressing table from the inn as well as a jewellery box as a house warming gift.

It was all hers. He'd sounded so excited to see it all and he'd promised.

The ice in her cokes had melted and the diluted coke filled the glass to the brim. Rory turned around excitedly at the sound of the bell above the door and her expectant smile faltered. Her mother stood in the doorway.

"Hey, Honey." Her mum made her way over to the counter. Rory could see Luke watching them as her mum lifted Rory's coat and slid onto the stool beside her.

"Dad isn't coming, is he?"

"I'm sorry, Babe. Your Dad called me a few minutes ago." She took a deep breath. "Something came up."

Rory nodded and pushed the donuts away from her.

"He said to say that he's really, _really_ sorry and he'll make it up to you next time we go out to see him. You okay?"

"Oh yeah," Rory said. "I'm fine. It's no big deal." She smiled, hoping the look of pity would leave her mother's face.

"Okay," her mother said, rubbing Rory's arm. "Sookie's going to come over for dinner tonight and make all your favourites. You can invite Lane. It'll be a girls' night!"

"Sounds good."

"Good." Lorelai shared a glance with Luke and smiled tightly. "I'm going to call Mrs. Kim and ask if Lane can sleep over. Try to convince her that it was the school who gave Lane the AC/DC tape."

"Luke doesn't like it when you go behind the counter." Rory informed her mother.

"I know," her mother replied brightly, "that's what makes it so much fun!"

Rory watched as her mother Mission Impossible'd her way across the diner and snatched the phone from its cradle and dialled quickly.

"You gonna eat that?" Luke asked, suddenly appearing in front of her.

"No, I'm not hungry."

"Oh."

"Dad couldn't make it."

"Yeah, uh, I heard your mum," Luke said, straightening his cap awkwardly.

"Something came up."

"Sorry."

"Yeah," Rory said, picking a hole in the donut closest to her and making a pile crumbs on the side of the plate. The jelly oozed slowly out.

"Oh for..." Luke picked up the donut gingerly. "Geez," he muttered and took a large bite. He tossed the rest back onto the plate and washed the bite down with a gulp of cherry coke.

"There. Someone ate the damn donut and drank the damn coke so will you quit looking like someone just gave your puppy to Kirk."

"Sorry, Luke," Rory smile and took a bite of her donut.

Luke dumped his commandeered donut behind the counter.

"If your mother asks, you ate it."

"Got it." Rory nodded as Luke turned away from her.

"Lorelai," Luke yelled. "Get out from behind my counter!"

~*~

Years later, twenty five year old Rory Gilmore, sat at the counter at Luke's Diner with a jelly donut and coffee in front of her and watched as Luke yelled at Taylor. Taylor stormed out the Diner swearing to bring it up at the next town meeting and Luke turned to Rory, still stony faced.

He took a bit of the donut and a swig of the coffee.

"Don't tell your mother."


End file.
